All posts tagged: party

Toe-tappin’ Hip-Hoppin’ Llama Glamarama is all about marching to the beat of your own drummer, celebrating differences, feeling left-out, PRIDE and more

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By Leslie Lindsay  A bright and colorful rhyming story with a powerful message about celebrating differences, LLAMA GLAMARAMA is the perfect Pride picture book for everyone. ~Books on MondaY|Always with a Book~ Spotlight: Children‘s Literature Meet a dazzlin’ dancin’ llama who learns to march to the beat of his own drum by strutting his stuff with Pride (and a funky feather boa)! Larry the llama loves to move and groove! But will his friends all disapprove? Larry lives a slow and quiet life at the barn with all the other llamas, just the way they like it. But at night when everyone has gone to bed, Larry loves to dress up in bright costumes and DANCE! He has to hide this from the others, for fear that they won’t approve of his raucous ways. One day, he stumbles upon the Llama Glamarama, a carnival full of music, laughter, and yes – dancing! Will this vibrant celebration give Larry the pride he needs to bring his dance back home? Kirkus calls LLAMA GLAMARAMA (Scholastic/Orchard Books, June 1, 2021) …

Madeleine Ryan talks about her stunning debut, about a sharp autistic woman, how nature is very revealing, plus the collective expression of home, how we are mirrors to that doorway, and more in A ROOM CALLED EARTH

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By Leslie Lindsay  A charming and delightful read about a neuroatypical woman at a party, the man she meets, and her magical, slightly quirky view of the world.  ~WEEKEND READING|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ A ROOM CALLED EARTH (Penguin Original, August 18 2020) by debut author Madeleine Ryan is at once hilarious and heartwarming. The plot is fairly straightforward:  A young autistic woman in Melbourne, Australia attends a house party. She navigates the festivities, has brief exchanges with others, and meets an intriguing man in line for the bathroom. Just like this man, we are invited back to the narrator’s unique and magical home. This premise, however, belies what a gift this book is, for what appears to be an ordinary night out is, through the prism of her mind, extraordinary.  This is such a delightful and charming read, a glittering glimpse into the sparkling and strikingly intense and unique mind. Please join me in welcoming the lovely and talented Madeleine Ryan to the author interview series.  Leslie Lindsay: Madeleine, welcome! You trained as an actor …

Cute & Simple: A Painted Party

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We had a fantab-ulous time at Color Me Mine in Naperville, IL for my daughter’s 6th birthday.  Here are some photos of the shin-dig, along with some crafty ideas you can re-create for your own child’s party.  My daughter and I especially had fun with the pencil-crazy-band favor she handed out to her classmates at school.  Most schools these days have a “no food” policy in place.  What’s a parent to do?  I typed up a quick little ditty on the computer–adding fun fonts and text color, adhered them to cardstock, securing to the pencil with a crazy band.  Done!  She’s already looking at pencil designs for next year’s pencil favor.  Other ideas: Make a bookmark out of cardstock, stickers, and markers (you can also purchase pre-cut bookmarks for less than $3 for a pack of 12+).  Tiny containers of Play-Doh with a label indicating the birthday child’s name and age Gel-clings appropriate for the season–look at the dollar store or dollar section of Target for small, individually-wrapped packages, or cut large sheets of them …